IronicDemo GUI

Introduction

This document describes the GUI needed for the demo. First a list of different GUI elements and their descriptions is given. And then mockups of placement and rough ideas are presented.

GUI description

Startup splash screen

A nice graphic of some sort

Main menu

• Enter game
• Options
• Quit

Server choosing screen

Login screen

Loading screen

Options menu

Graphics options

Input options

Audio options

Gameplay options

Main screen

• Dominated by the viewport of course.
• Includes a throwing GUI
• Subwindows for viewing stats and score.
• Chat area. Allows to change the opacity of the window (background and borders) and the widgets/text separately.
• List of friends in a subwindow and also private chat windows.
• Should be able to display the names of other entities.
• Highlight/Indicate objects/entities that can be interacted with.
• Current clan symbol display
• Clan management subwindow.
• Inventory or the display of the currently equipped item (spear, apple, beer mug etc).

Unified window and HUD system

The idea is that windows and HUD are the same thing really. Every window could be made into a HUD piece with just a simple action (press of a button or something like that) unless a widget inside the window somewhere specifies that it can not be on a HUD. In HUD mode there is no frame, background and windowing system buttons. It has to be easy to take HUD windows out of HUD mode as well, but while that action should be obvious, it should probably not be very visible so it does not create clutter in the HUD. HUD windows should still have the functionality of changing opacity and moving. It would be nice if HUD windows could be moved and changed without the intermediate step of taking them out of HUD mode. However if that creates a too complicated GUI the intermediate step process should be opted for. There should be a way to lock any window in place so that one can not change it's location by accident - this should be default for HUD windows probably.

Docking windows

Any window should be dockable to special areas around any edge of the screen.

Radar widget

A widget that displays people nearby, a compass and possibly a minimap. If the map is used the widget should be easily expandable to a larger map.

Chat windows

Chat windows have to be as subtle as possible. Because there are likely to be many of them, docking and grouping are key. As well as the possibility of hiding buttons and things that are not needed. On the other hand it should be easy to differentiate between different types of chats (around, private, guild etc). As well as determine which one is the active one.

Throwing GUI

The throwing GUI features a HUD type interface with a pulsating strength bar near or around a crosshair. The strength bar should be easily monitorable while aiming (maybe look at the crosshairs in ghost recon).

Inventory window

Something simple for selecting objects in the inventory.

GUI mockup

Nothing here yet...

-- Main.[HenriKuuste] - 23 Dec 2005